During the eighties (the Metal years), Portugal, such as every other European country, also had its own Metal scene. At this time no bands were exclusively playing Black Metal (and only those who were present back then remember how different things were concerning these "labels" prior to 1992 and the Norwegian Black Metal wave). However, there were one or two whose imagery and sound granted them a sort of a precursor status to the Black scene. Most notably among these was a band formed in 1985 called Black Cross. Their stage gear and lyrics (which dealt with horror and Satan, as well as nuclear war), more than their actual music (which was a sort of dirty Thrash), made their name often be mentioned by later Blacksters. Another band that began in 1987 and whose demos (and 7"EP) featured a very heavy and obscure Death Metal was Thormenthor, who were at a time in all probability Portugal�s greatest Metal band.
But it was in 1991 that the proper birth of Portuguese Black Metal came about, via the release of a demo of Necro Black Doom (most inspired by Hellhammer and Necroschizma), 'The Miracle of Death', by a band called Bactherion, led by Belathauzer, a name who quickly became a reference in the Underground scene due to several extreme episodes that called the man�s actual sanity into question. Bactherion�s name was soon abandoned and they would later release their second demo �Os M�todos do Pentagrama� under their definitive name Filii Nigrantium Infernalium. 1992 was the year when two other bands emerged:
Morbid God, who released the impressive promo-track �Serpent Angel�, and who would release their legendary demo �Anno Satanae� already with the name under which they would later rise to undreamed-of heights: Moonspell.
And Decayed, reborn from the ashes of earlier Thrash act Decay, who released their �� Thus Revealed� demo-tape. Their music was a sort of obscure Death Thrash that quickly became more and more Black, as evident by their excellent track �Nocturnal Prayers� released in the Portuguese compilation double LP �The Birth of a Tragedy� (that also featured the Morbid God promo-track) and their 7"EP �The Seven Seals� that preceded their debut CD �The Conjuration of The Southern Circle�, an absolute milestone in the Portuguese Metal scene. The beginning of a long career that (after Filii�s descent into dormancy and Moonspell�s departure to other sounds) grants Decayed the position of Portugal�s most acclaimed Black Metal band.
In 1993 and thereabouts, these three bands (Filii Nigrantium Infernalium, Moonspell and Decayed) were the Black scene of Portugal. They all had a great relationship with each other (a situation that sadly would not last long) and there were at a time plans for a gig with all three bands. It would have been an occasion to remember, but it never did happen.
Some time later new bands began to appear, beginning with Candle Serenade (the first Black Metal band from the north of the country) and going on with subsequent acts such as Celtic Dance, Firstborn Evil, Blood Quest, etc.
The rest, as this, is history.
